December 16th. On the evening of Monday (14th) local time, the Indian police raided a spice factory in Hatteras, Uttar Pradesh, India. The factory was using donkey manure and acid to make spices, pretending to be a local brand.
The product. Factory owner Anoop Varshney was arrested, and the police seized a large number of fake spices at the scene.
Local official Prem Prakash Meena revealed to The Times of India that more than 300 kilograms of fake spices were seized at the scene, with the names of some local brands on the packaging.
Mina added that during the search, the police also found some raw materials intended to be used to make fake spices, including donkey dung, hay (straw), inedible coloring, and barreled acid.
Some of the recovered authentic spices are mixed with fake spices and repackaged. These include coriander powder, red pepper powder, turmeric powder and spice mixtures (mainly salt and masala).
According to officials of the Indian Food Regulatory Authority, these fake spices may be harmful to health, especially when consumed for a long time.
Local official Mina said that the factory owner could not show the production license and did not obtain the license of the relevant brand. Currently, officials are investigating whether these fake spices have flowed out of other places.
About 27 samples were sent to the laboratory for testing. According to Article 151 of the Indian Criminal Procedure Law, the factory owner Vashni has been detained by the judicial department.
